USIC AT&T contract

Whats going on family! Stopping by to see if there is any truth to the news that USIC may of lost or is losing the AT&T contract in the state of Texas, any info would be greatly appreciated be safe out there and stay hydrated its 🔥 HOT...

Re: USIC AT&T contract

I am not for sure but it is a fact that when CUS/USIC took all the contracts from Utiliquest back in the 2010 era , all the contracts for ATT were taken slowly state by state for about 2-3 year period . Texas ATT contract will probably be in line to be taken by S & N Communications soon enough . Again I am not for sure about this .

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by FieldTech561

Whats going on family! Stopping by to see if there is any truth to the news that USIC may of lost or is losing the AT&T contract in the state of Texas, any info would be greatly appreciated be safe out there and stay hydrated its HOT...

Re: USIC AT&T contract

USIC has had the ATT contract in TX for well over a decade now. From back when they were SM/P. I was always told whoever wanted TX AT/T had to take the whole state and nobody was able to do that. I was told by some of the South/Southeastern group guys that they pay almost every damage no questions asked, no matter who's fault, to keep ATT happy.

I think the fear started a bit back when ATT floated out that they may be willing to split states up to different companies or try someone new (I think S/N has their state for that reason). Then companies where trying to get into TX market. Utiliquest ended up dropping out. Unibar/DPG came and went. Heath is there now, but wants nothing to do with ATT (they have their hands full with Atmos Gas alone). Somewhere a rumor spread that those companies coming in may take the ATT.

I've been hearing the locators out in the field saying they're scared of someone taking ATT for almost 2 years now and nothing close has happened yet.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by mattm211

USIC has had the ATT contract in TX for well over a decade now. From back when they were SM/P. I was always told whoever wanted TX AT/T had to take the whole state and nobody was able to do that. I was told by some of the South/Southeastern group guys that they pay almost every damage no questions asked, no matter who's fault, to keep ATT happy.

I was told by a USIC guy in North Carolina That how it worked was ATT paid what was due the locate company LESS the cost of damages. So there is no bill to dispute. Also that since it was easier to take the money from the locate company than to collect from an excavator the locate firm is charged for damages that are not their fault. This leaves to locate company in the fear that ATT will cancel the contract if they do.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Best thing that ever happened to USIC in North Carolina was to dump the AT&T contract. Situation was so bad that we were literally paying AT&T to locate their plant. S/N bet on all the experienced USIC locators jumping ship which never happened (probably because we all knew how bad their plant was). Everybody that I know that went over is getting screwed royally. AT&T played the game of losing the contract for so long that I think they were very surprised when USIC told them where they could stick it

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by RevLee

Best thing that ever happened to USIC in North Carolina was to dump the AT&T contract. Situation was so bad that we were literally paying AT&T to locate their plant. S/N bet on all the experienced USIC locators jumping ship which never happened (probably because we all knew how bad their plant was). Everybody that I know that went over is getting screwed royally. AT&T played the game of losing the contract for so long that I think they were very surprised when USIC told them where they could stick it

S&N was dependent on hiring USIC locators. But USIC was smart and announced they were short on people and they would not lay off any people when AT&T was gone. So S&N showed up and offered less pay than the USIC guys were making in a job they were not going to lose. This left S&N short and the late tickets began backing up. Now S&N offered the USIC guys more money and by now USIC guys were worried that S&N was about to lose AT&T so they still could not get the people they needed. S&N now as dependent on Virginia and Maryland workers living in hotel rooms. I figure each locator over $900 a week extra so they were losing money on each locator.

Last I heard S&N got North Carolina together and finally cleaned up the late tickets.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by ProfessionalLocator

S&N was dependent on hiring USIC locators. But USIC was smart and announced they were short on people and they would not lay off any people when AT&T was gone. So S&N showed up and offered less pay than the USIC guys were making in a job they were not going to lose. This left S&N short and the late tickets began backing up. Now S&N offered the USIC guys more money and by now USIC guys were worried that S&N was about to lose AT&T so they still could not get the people they needed. S&N now as dependent on Virginia and Maryland workers living in hotel rooms. I figure each locator over $900 a week extra so they were losing money on each locator.

Last I heard S&N got North Carolina together and finally cleaned up the late tickets.

Yep, it's easy to catch up your past dues when you blow off locating "all" the cables within the scope of the ticket. Rarely do I see drops ever located, and they skip mainlines frequently. Talked with a guy who jumped ship and went to S/N recently and he is now rethinking the decision he made. (I had told him it was probably a bad move). Overall the contractors are still furious with S/N and are still having to resort to calling in 3 hour notices to get there tickets located.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by RevLee

Yep, it's easy to catch up your past dues when you blow off locating "all" the cables within the scope of the ticket. Rarely do I see drops ever located, and they skip mainlines frequently. Talked with a guy who jumped ship and went to S/N recently and he is now rethinking the decision he made. (I had told him it was probably a bad move). Overall the contractors are still furious with S/N and are still having to resort to calling in 3 hour notices to get there tickets located.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by ProfessionalLocator

S&N now as dependent on Virginia and Maryland workers living in hotel rooms.

I've never worked for S&N, but I've heard from of their locators that company policy is that locators share a hotel room when working out of town. Man, I am tooooo damn old to be sharing a room with a drunk, snoring, farting guy that I don't really know or even like, for that matter. I just couldn't imagine.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by utiliquesternomo

I've never worked for S&N, but I've heard from of their locators that company policy is that locators share a hotel room when working out of town. Man, I am tooooo damn old to be sharing a room with a drunk, snoring, farting guy that I don't really know or even like, for that matter. I just couldn't imagine.

Unless they changed it from first week of June the policy is one person per room.
When I first joined the firm they used $40 or $50 a night rooms complete with bugs and broken fixtures. But once they booked one of the higher ups in these rooms that changed. They now usually book in one of the Hilton chain owned hotels. I like Hampton Inn best, good rooms, CATV and free breakfast. Around $100 to $120 a night.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by ProfessionalLocator

Unless they changed it from first week of June the policy is one person per room.
When I first joined the firm they used $40 or $50 a night rooms complete with bugs and broken fixtures. But once they booked one of the higher ups in these rooms that changed. They now usually book in one of the Hilton chain owned hotels. I like Hampton Inn best, good rooms, CATV and free breakfast. Around $100 to $120 a night.

I never in six years shared a hotel room.

They also put me inn a Hilton 'Garden Inn once, real nice. Whole bunch of premium tv channels. But unlike Hampton Inn you have to pay $11 for breakfast which is a big bite out of the $20 a day per diem so Got breakfast elsewhere. On my last day nobody from management was present. Dropped off the car, equipment and per die, forms on a desk I was told used by my supervisor at that time (had 5 or 6 supervisors during my last year). Still haven't gotten my per diem checks.

Got a 'group' text saying "guys, group meeting at office at 1000am". This was Friday and I was supposed to report and turn everything in Monday for last day.
Got to office and only person there for 'meeting' was a locator working in Maryland. I asked what 'meeting' was about and he said he was only there to drive me home.

While hotel rooms are good six years at the firm and not even a good by. I think at least an AMF would have been called for.

Re: USIC AT&T contract

Originally Posted by ProfessionalLocator

Unless they changed it from first week of June the policy is one person per room.
When I first joined the firm they used $40 or $50 a night rooms complete with bugs and broken fixtures. But once they booked one of the higher ups in these rooms that changed. They now usually book in one of the Hilton chain owned hotels. I like Hampton Inn best, good rooms, CATV and free breakfast. Around $100 to $120 a night.

I never in six years shared a hotel room.

The guys going over from the New Orleans area to help on the Mississippi gulf coast last month shared a room. This includes supervisors. "Company policy" is what they were told. They offered them a $500 bonus for the weekend but only if they stayed in the room, even though some lived only 60 miles away.